This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Passive inflatable restraint systems are used in a variety of applications, such as in motor vehicles. When a vehicle decelerates due to a collision or another triggering event occurs, an inflatable restraint system deploys an airbag cushion to prevent contact between the occupant and the vehicle to minimize occupant injuries. Airbag systems typically include an inflator that can be connected to one or more inflatable airbags positioned within the vehicle, and can rapidly produce a quantity of inflation fluid or gas that can fill the airbag(s) to protect the occupant(s). Such inflatable airbags may deploy into one or more locations within the vehicle between the occupant and certain parts of the vehicle interior, such as the doors, steering wheel, instrument panel, headliner, or the like, to prevent or avoid the occupant from forcibly striking such parts of the vehicle interior during collisions or roll-overs. In particular, driver side and passenger side inflatable restraint installations have found wide usage for providing protection to drivers and front seat passengers, respectively, in the event of head-on types of vehicular collisions. Further, side impact inflatable restraint installations have been developed to provide improved occupant protection against vehicular impacts inflicted or imposed from directions other than head-on, e.g., “side impacts.” Thus, a vehicle can include an inflatable curtain airbag deployed from a headliner of the vehicle, which can inflate to protect the head of the occupant(s) from contact with the side of the vehicle, such as the windows in the event of a sudden deceleration or roll-over. One or more of such inflatable safety restraint devices can be found on most new vehicles.
One particularly common type of inflator device for an airbag system generates gas for the airbag cushion by combustion of a pyrotechnic gas generating material. Another common form or type of inflator device contains a quantity of stored pressurized or compressed gas for release into an airbag. However, such stored gas inflators are typically only useful to inflate airbags with smaller volumes. Yet another type of a compressed gas inflator is commonly referred to as a “hybrid inflator,” which can supply inflation gas as a result of a combination of stored compressed gas and combustion products resulting from the combustion of a gas generating pyrotechnic material.
The use of cool burning generant formulations is becoming more popular in hybrid inflators. Such cool burning generants may allow for a reduction in the inflator length and mass. Most of these formulations have relatively low burning rates, and thereby require the use of gas generant tablets to meet the desired performance requirements. A baffle or some other structure is conventionally used to position and retain the gas generant tablets. To achieve the desired performance objectives, the baffle must provide a relatively unobstructed path for the shock wave to travel, yet allow hot gasses to reach and ignite the generant.
While known inflator devices for passive restraint air bag systems have generally proven to be acceptable for their intended uses, a continuous need for improvement exists in the relevant art.